< PreviousJudges Affect Everyone – Even YOU!Guest Editorial byKaty BoatmanCandidate for First Court of AppealsThe elected official most likelyto affect your life in a signif-icant way is a Judge. If yourbest friend is accused of a crime,your child is at risk of being takenaway from you, you are hurt at work, or your business is in a dispute, you want a good, fair, and impartial judge de-ciding the issue. Does Experience Matter?Lawyers acquire different skill sets. It's similar withjudges. Different experiences matter for different judges. Acandidate who has vast experience in civil law is not thebest candidate for a Criminal Court bench. Likewise, acriminal lawyer may not be the best Family CourtJudge. Each type of law requires distinct skillsand intellect critical to the Justice System; theyare not interchangeable.A Court of Appeals Justice, for example, willnever preside over a jury trial. The Court of Ap-peals only gets involved after the Trial Court hasdecided the case. After the jury’s verdict, thelosing party may decide to appeal thecase to a Court of Appeals. So how do you determine whichcandidate is most experienced?Look at the candidate’s experiencelisted on their website. Do theyspecialize in the area of law forthe bench they seek? Have theyclerked for judges in similarcourts?What do Jus-tices Do? After a case has been ruled onin a different court, attorneys willwrite a brief for the Cour t ofAppeals, presenting arguments on behalf of their client. At-torneys rely on prior decisions by other Appeals Courts, ar-guing why the precedents indicate their client is right. Justices on the Court of Appeals are responsible for reading the briefs. In some cases, Justices will allow the at-torneys to argue their case in person, but most Justices makea decision based on the briefs and researching the law. Inthis way, Justices are different than Judges.Do Endorsements and Value Matter? Strong and reliable endorsements are crucial to every cam-paign, especially to Judges and Justices. Like most otherelected officials, Justices will be listed as either Republican,Democrat, or Independent (rarely any other lesser party). Some things to consider: What groups or organizationshave endorsed this candidate? Have they been recognizedfor their work in that area, receiving awards or other acco-lades? Do retired Judges and Justices endorse him/her? Dopracticing attorneys like them? You also want to elect Judges who share your val-ues. Has the candidate participated in pro-life orpro-choice rallies? Has he or she been involvedwith charities for the needy or children? Does thecandidate attend church regularly – and are theyinvolved with church activities? What ishis or her stance on the SecondAmendment, the Seventh Amend-ment, Free Speech, and ReligiousFreedom?The ideal candidate – the onewe want on the bench – combinesthe relevant experience with thevalues we hold. I, Katy Boatman,humbly ask for your vote for theFirst Court of Appeals. I believemy strong family values, fusedwith my extensive experience,qualify me for the job.Katy BoatmanNext >